Page 82 of Comeback
“It’s okay, Hath!”
“We trust ya!”
I nodded. “Thanks, boys.”
The conversations resumed with a palpable excitement in the air.
I sat at my stall—before I remembered that I’d been gone fortwo whole yearsand my stall probably wasn’tmystall anymore.
Old habits die hard, right?
I stood up and took a look at the nameplate above the stall.
Jack Hathaway.
“Huh?” I looked at Dane for answers. He was grinning.
“We left it open for you,” he said. “Always knew you’d come back.”
I slugged his shoulder. “Thanks, Captain.”
Epilogue
Emma
Three Years Later
Jack and Dane were due to arrive any minute, and dinner was smelling delicious. While we waited for our husbands to arrive, Austen DeHardt and I lounged on the living room couch, hunting through a stack of magazines for inspiration.Seven-year-old Mackenzie sprawled out on the rug by our feet, busily reading her chapter book.
Mackenzie was sandwiched between our two dogs: Jasper, a Bull Terrier, and Ines, a German Shepherd. We got Jasper and Ines because Jack wanted tough, menacing dogs to guard Mack and me while he was on the road. I’m not sure how menacing they truly are—theymighttry to cuddle you to death. Thankfully, with a state-of-the-art alarm system, and with Trevor serving a thirty-year sentence behind bars, I feel pretty safe in my home these days, even when Jack and the Devils are on the road.
“Here,” I said, passing Austen my magazine. “Look at this one.”
“Oh, Emma.” She covered her heart with her hand. “That is sofrickin’cute.”
Austen was Dane’s wife, our neighbor, and my very best friend. When she and Dane had their wedding last summer, I was her maid of honor, and Mackenzie was her flower girl. Just a few weeks ago, Austen started to show—she and Dane were expecting their first, and she was busily planning the new room they’d have to put together for the baby.
And now that I’d finished getting my college degree in psychology?Icouldn’t wait to join in on all the excitement.
“You’re probablydyingto tell him,” Austen said, keeping her voice quiet so Mackenzie wouldn’t overhear and become inquisitive.
“God, am I ever!” I said. I’d found out the day after the Devils took off for their eight-day-long road trip through the east coast. A bout of morning sickness made me suspicious, and a pregnancy test confirmed my suspicions. I’d gone to the doctor and found out I was a month along.
“Are you sure you want me and Dane to stay for dinner? We don’t have to, you know. I can make up some excuse why we need to hurry home.”
A while back, Austen and I both realized that our men always came home from a road trip absolutelydyingfor a home-cooked meal. And since Jack and Dane always carpooled to and from the airport, and Austen and I were always hanging out together when they were on the road, it seemed only natural that we should join forces and have a delicious meal that was ready to eat as soon as they walked through that door. Tonight, we were having beef braised in red wine, roasted fingerling potatoes, and almond green beans.
I shook my head. “If you guys go home before dinner, that’ll only raise Jack’ssuspicion.”
“So? You’re telling him tonight, aren’t you? No matter what?”
I nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
“So what’s the big deal?”
“I just don’t want him to suspect anything. I want him to think it’s a night like any other—then I want to surprise him when we’re in bed later.”
“Aaaaaaaah,” Austen said, nodding knowingly. “Iget it now.”
